The present invention is a barrier assembly for protecting the edge of an elevated conveyor platform or mezzanine, where the conveyor platform is adapted to receive pallets of articles from an elevated load-in side of the conveyor platform and to convey the pallets to a handling side of the conveyor platform.
A typical distribution center or warehouse may include a plurality of elevated conveyor platforms that have openings on the load-in side of the conveyor platforms for receiving pallets of articles from forklift trucks, and for conveying the pallets from the load-in side to the handling side where workers will remove the articles from the pallets and place them on (typically motorized) conveyors. Each of the conveyor platforms include a roller conveyor (or any other type of conveyor) for conveying the pallets from the load-in side to the handling side of the conveyor platform. Despite the fact that the workers will typically remain on the handling side of the conveyor platforms, the openings from the load-in side to the conveyor platforms for receiving the pallets from the forklift trucks present a potential fall hazard for the workers if, for example, the worker would need to approach the openings to dislodge a stuck pallet. Accordingly, a need exists for an apparatus and system to provide a barrier in the openings to the conveyor platforms which allows the pallets to be loaded onto the conveyors by forklift trucks, but which also inhibits the workers from falling through the openings from the conveyor platforms when the conveyors are not in use, or when the conveyors are occupied by a load or a pallet.